Whats on Wednesday: Speak Up Week
Wednesday 30 September
Know Your Options
Purpose - To help staff understand the different ways they can ask for advice, raise an issue, seek support or make a formal report.
Core message - You do not need to know the name of a policy or decide immediately whether something is formal. Advice and support are available to help you understand your options.
Staff action - Familiarise yourself with the available routes.
- Seek confidential advice if you are uncertain.
- Choose the route that is appropriate to the issue and your circumstances.
- If you do not feel heard or safe using one route, consider an alternative source of support or escalation.
Manager and leader action - Do not dismiss, minimise or redirect a concern without understanding it:
- Avoid insisting that a member of staff use only one route.
- Help staff access specialist advice where needed.
- Be clear when an issue may need to be escalated because of safety, statutory or professional responsibilities.
- Avoid creating an expectation that every person must resolve a concern directly with their manager.
Routes for Staff to raise Concerns:
Locally Available routes
- Line manager or another manager.
- Professional lead or clinical lead.
- Team or service leadership.
- Established communication, improvement or feedback mechanisms.
Independent or alternative workplace support
- Confidential Conversation with an HR Advisor – Email: Gram.hr@nhs.scot or Phone: 01224 552888
- Speak-up Ambassadors – gram.whistleblowing@nhs.scot
- Staff-side representatives - PARTNERSHIP
- Trade union or professional organisation representatives - How to Join a Trade Union or Professional Organisation
- Occupational Health or staff wellbeing services, where relevant - GRAM-OHS - Home
Advice and early support
- WeCare information and support - Homepage
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- Crucial-conversations support or learning.
- Mediation, where appropriate and voluntary.
- Supported conversations, where these form part of an agreed process.
Specialist routes
- Equality and Inclusion support - Reporting Racist/Discriminatory Incident
- Fraud reporting - Counter Fraud
- Grievance, Bullying and Harassment and Workplace/Employment Situation Advice and Reporting - GRAM-OperationalHR - Home
- Clinical governance, quality and patient safety concerns - GRAM QIAT - Home
- Health and safety routes - GRAM-CorporateHealthAndSafety - Home
- Whistleblowing routes - Whistleblowing
Wednesday 30th September Key Messages and Activities:
Launch of NHS Grampian’s ‘8 Ways we Listen’ leaflet
This has been designed to help staff know the routes for speaking-up and are available at NHS Grampian Speak Up
Ambassador spotlight - What Speak-up Ambassadors told us they enjoy most about their role:
- Supporting and Listening to Colleagues
- Providing a safe, confidential space for staff to talk through concerns and feel listened to, understood and supported.
- Empowering Staff to Speak Up
- Helping colleagues find their voice, build confidence, raise concerns and take action to address workplace issues.
- Making a Positive Difference
- Seeing positive outcomes for individuals, helping to resolve concerns, and contributing to a fairer, more inclusive workplace culture.
- Being a Trusted Source of Support
- Building trusting relationships with colleagues and providing reassurance, guidance and ongoing support throughout the speaking up process.
- Personal Growth and Development
- Developing valuable skills such as listening, communication and advocacy, while gaining satisfaction from helping others and acting as a link between staff and the organisation.
Speak-up Ambassadors value the opportunity to listen, support and empower colleagues, while making a meaningful contribution to a more open, inclusive and psychologically safe workplace.
Click here to see a short video of a Speak-up Ambassador talking about their role - Speaking Up in NHS Grampian. To find out about becoming a Speak-up Ambassador email gram.whistleblowing@nhs.scot
- Staff-side and partnership contribution
A key message from NHS Grampian’s Chief Executive and Employee Director at the Grampian Area Partnership Forum Development Day on 17 September 2026, was that speaking up is not just about raising concerns, it is about ensuring staff voices are heard, valued and acted upon.
Laura Skaife-Knight and Steven Lindsay reaffirmed their commitment to openness, transparency and compassionate leadership, while recognising that further work is needed to build confidence that concerns raised lead to visible action and meaningful change.
The message was simple - Every voice matters. By speaking up, listening to one another and acting on feedback, we can create stronger teams, safer services and a healthier culture for everyone. We all have a role to play in fostering a culture of listening, accountability and continuous improvement.
